Knotting mechanism



A ril 18, 1 933. M. R. WELLS ET Al.

KNOTTING MECHANISM Filed April 3, 1930 10 Sheets-Sheet 1 gnaw/Moo W/RAJ JZ April 18, 1933. M. R. WELLS ET AL KNOTTING MECHANISM Filed April 3, 1950 10 Sheets-Sheet 2 gwventom 041% $1 ala, 962m April 18, 1933.

M. R. WELLS ET AL KNOTTING MECHANISM Filed April 3, 1930 Fl'g- .3

10 Sheets- Sheet a W? $12k fw $1 M, V [@L April 1933- M. R. WELLS El AL 1,904,704

KNOTTING MECHANISM Filed April 3, 1930 10 Sheets-Sheet 4 A ril 18, 1933. M. R. WELLS ET AL KNOTTING MECHANISM Filed April 3, 1930 10 Sheets-Sheet 5 A ril 18, 1933. M. R. WELLS ET AL KNOTTING MECHAN I SM- Filed April 3, 1930 10 Sheets-Sheet 6 A ril 18, 1933. M. R. WELLS El AL KNOTT ING MECHANI SM Filed April" 3, 1930 10 Sheets-Sheet '7 April 18, 1933. M, \R. WELLS ET AL KNOTTING MECHANISM Filed April 3, 1950 10 Sheets-Sheet s gnoentow A ril 18, 1933. M. R. WELLS ET AL KNOTTING MECHANISM Filed April 3. 1930 10 Sheets-Sheet 9 April 18, 1933. M. R. WELLS El AL KNOTTING MECHANI SM Filed A ril 3, 1930 10 Sheets-Sheet l0 nul. 9 1 23.5

glwu ontow Patented Apr. 18, 1933 "FiCE MERRITT a. WELLS, or CLEVELAND neren'rsntm ros'rnn. F. HILLIX, or izA Ewoop, 01110, ASSIGNOBS TO THE GIBSON ART COMPANY, or CINCINNATI, 01110, A conromrrIon OF onro Application filed April 3,

This invention relates to knotting mechanisms, and especially to a knotting mechanism which is adapted to tie a tassel to a cord and apply the cord and tassel to a card or other object.

Tally cards, place cards, programmes, etc. usually have a tassel attached thereto by a cord, and the tassel preferably composed of 1 a plurality of silk strands, fastened to the loose ends of the cord. Heretofore, the tassel has been manually secured to the cord and then the unit manually fastened to the card. The cord usually was in the form of a loop, and the tassel was tied to the loose ends of the cord by a suitable knot, of such a type, that the ends of thetassel were substantially parallel with each other asan extension of the cord. After the' tassel was secured to the cord, the looped end of the cord was manually inserted through a preformed opening in the card. Then the tassel was drawn through the loop, thereby securing the cord to the card. It is desirable hatthe knot, which'secures the tassel to the cord, be comparatively taut and that the loose ends of the cord be snipped comparatively close to the knot, it will, therefore, be seen that to perform such an operation by hand requires a comparatively great length on i or time, and results in a waste of material. a

come apparent from the speclficat on, and

It is also desirable that the strands of the tassel be of substantially the same length. When the knotting operation is manual the tassel is first tied to the cord, and then the ends of the tassel are cut to a required length, this causes an appreciable loss of the tassel material. Another dis-advantage of the manual operation is that the lengths of the cords and tassels vary relative to each other, whereas it is desirable that each cord and tassel be substantially the samelength to afford uniform packing. The general object of this invention, therefore, is to provide a mechanism which will form and secure a tassel to a cord and secure the unit to a card or other article; i

A more'specific object is to provide a mechanism which will secure a tassel, comm posed of a plurality of strands of material, W to a cord in such a manner that the strands xnor'rme MECHANISM 1930. Serial no. 441,284.

to each other. 7

. A further object is to secure a' tassel to a cord so thatthe tasselwill be substantially a continuation of the cord. i

i A further object isto provide a mechanism which will insert .a cord in a preof the tassel will lie substantially parallel formed iopening in a card or other article I and thereafter secure the) cordto the article.

Another object-is to provide amechanism which will perforate a cardya nd. secure a cord and tassel to the card through such perforation. i

which will form-a loop in a cord, insert the looped cord through a card, secure a tassel to the loose ends of the cord, and thereafter bring the-tassel through'the loop, in'such a manner as to secure the cord and'tassel to thecard.

A further object is to provide an apparatus which will securea tassel to a cord and Another object is to provide a mechanism i V secure the unit to a card or: other article whereby the length of eachcord and tassel willhe substantially'the same.

Another object is to provide mechanism which will tie a cord to. a card-in such a manner as to eliminate manual handling of the'cord to tie a knot. Further objects of the. invention will bea. preferred embodiment will be'illustrated in the drawings. The essential,novel characteristics willbe set forth in the .ClfilIflSw In the drawings, Figswl and 2 .are permechanism; Figs. 12; 1.3"andf14 are perspec- 'tive views illustrating operations of the knotting headand the manner of securing the i cord tofthe card; Figf15 is illustrative of one form of a card, having a cord and. V

' tassel secured to it; Fig. 16 is -a diagram- 7 matic'illustration of one form of knot which may be tied by the mechanism; Fig. 17 is a vertical section throughthe kn'otter head;

F ig; 18 is a horizontal section illustrating the tension'mechanism for spreading theloop of the cord and is taken substantially in the1,horizontal plane indicated by the lines.l8 18-of Fig. 2; .Fig. 19 is a horizontal'section takenthrough the knotter headi operating mechanism and is in a substan-' tially horizontalplane; Fig. 20 ,is'ia detail of theroperatingv mechanism for the loop hooks Fig. 21 is asubstantially' horizontal sectiontaken along the lines 2121 inFig,

2.; Fig.22 isa detail ofthefeeding mechas nism for the tassel material;'Figs.23-and 24 r are i substantially. 20 through portions of the tassel feeding-meek vertical sections anism and'on anenla'rged scale; Fig. 25 is aitransverse section and isxindicated by the line 25 25,1 on Fig.l2 4;j Fig. 26 is a hori- V zontal section anidis indicatedby "the lines 7 25' 26-26 onFig; 2; Fig. 27. is a side elevation of theparts shown in Fig.-26 ;-Fig. 28 is a vertical-section and is indicated by the lines 28.28in Figs. 26 and 29; Fig, 29 is a vertical section and is illustrated by the lines 29'29 in Fig. 27; Fig. 30 is a side elevation looking from the left-hand side of Figs. 1 and 2, the knottinghead mechanism being.

brokenawa Fi 31 is a vertical cross sec- 3 tion on an enlarged scale illustrating a clutch and-isindic'ated bythe line 31 31 on c Fig. 30; Figs. '32 and 33 aresectionspar "tially brokenaway illustrating the clutch mechanism, in different positions and are indicated by the lines 32-32 in. Fig. 81;, Fig.

' 14 7234 is a diagrammatic, composite,'-il lustra tion of theicam mechanism for causing the i timin'g'of the operation of the various movements of-the mechanism.

Referring again tofthe drawings g and 30) 'wherein a preferred embodiment of our invention is shown, there is abox shaped frame'10,'-which comprises a base; vportion .11 having suitable supportingfeet 12 and side frame plates 13 and 14. The side plates are joined by afront frame plate 15 and suitable rear cross members 16. The rear and top-faces of the frame are *normally closed'by suitable cover "plates (not shown), which may be secured to" the frame any well known manner.

Journalled in the lower portion of the frame is a main drive shaft 17, which is'rotated by .a pulley 18, through the medium ofa single rotation clutch-'19. A motor 20,

mounted on a bracket21, rigidly secured to a the framelOiis drivingly connected to the pulley 18 'by'ja belt 22,'thereby driving the shaft Rigidly f secured to the shaft are a series of cam discs 23 adapted to operate I the various mechanisms, which cooperate to tie a tasselto a cordand secure the unit. to

a card or other article.

In the embodiment illustrated, the knotting mechanism comprises a work table 30, a cord feeding mechanism, a silk or. tassel feeding mechanism, a'jknotter head 150 and a knot ejector" mechanism." The work table (Figs. land 2) comprises a substantially horizontally extending plate 30, which is i secured by means of suitable bolts to a bracket '31 rigidly-.aflixedtothe front plate I 15'of the frame 10. ,The" plate B'Ofis cut away at one inner corner,as at- 32, to permit the operation of the cord feeding -mechanism. Adjacent the'opening is a filler plate ward movement of the. card :du'e'to thereturn of the cord feeding mechanism, aswill .be hereinafterdescribed. -The' plates 33 and 34 may besecured to the work table'in any well known manner.

Thercord feeding mechanism, which feeds a predetermined length of cord from a continuous strand or ball 35 to the knotter head, is illustrated in Figs. lto 5, 18, 19 and 21,

and will now be described. Situated at the right hand side of the machine (Figs. 1 and 2) is a supply of cord C which'may com.-

prise a' suitable. ball or reel 35. The cord I G is threaded from the ball 35 to a tension member 36, which iscarried by a support 37 secured to a bracket 38 plate 15 of the frame.

A tension device is supplied tov keep the cord G taut at all times, thereby: insurmounted on'the front "ing uniform lengthv of the cord he ,tension device 36 comprises a porcelain studf having a; transverse opening; 38, through. which the cord C may be threaded and then snubbed around the stud, to'place sufficienttension on the cord to retain the-cord taut. vThe stud36 has athreaded extension 39 which passes througha block 43 rigidly secured to'the support37 and; is retained in i an adjusted position by a knurled nut 40.

- The cord C? passes from the tension unit to a tubular guide 41, mounted in a forward- 1y extending boss 42 of the-front plateliiw From the tubular guidemember, thegco'rd passes to a1. osclllatmg needle 45, the operation of which will. be hereinafter described From the needle the cord passes to agripper mechanism 46, which securestheloose end of the cord against movement." Y 7 I j The; needle 45vperforate's thecard so that i the cord may be looped through the perform tionand securedtp the card, as shown in F lgs. 1, 2 and 4, the needle comprises a tubular shapedmem'ber 50, having an open endv 51 through which the cord enters the J 1 loop from the needle and retain it below the ,tion below a'rock arm 56 rigidly secured to a shaft 57.

The shaft 57 is mounted in the front frame plate 15, to the right of, and slightly above the feed table 30. 1 I

In operation, a cam and 63 to reciprocate a rack 60, thereby oscillating an arm '56, which carries the needle, causing the needle to carry the cord .C

from the position illustrated in .Fig. '2,

around a knotter'head 150 and downward through the card to the position illustrated in Fig. 4. Rigidly secured to the shaft 57 adjacent the inner surface of the frame member 15 is a gear 59. As illustrated in Figs. 8 and 19, the gear 59 is oscillated by a reciprocating rack 60, slidably mounted between a cover plate 61 and the. frame plate 15 (Fig. 19). The lower extremity of the rack is connected by a link 62 (Fig. 3) to one end of a lever 63, the other end of which, is pivoted as at64' (Fig. 30) to a bracket 65 mounted in the'base member 11. Intermediate the ends of the lever 63 is a roller 68, which is adapted to coact with a cam groove 67 in a cam disc 23a.

The needle 45, loops the cord and feeds it to the knotter head to be tied as the needle 45 oscillates from its normal or inactive position, (towards the left in Figs. l and 2) .it first is slid bodily along the cord C, the loose end of which is retained by the gripper 46. However, as the eye 53 of the needle passes over the gripper, the cord is looped and carried over the knotter head 150 until the looped end of the cord has been carried through the cardby the needle. When the eye of the needle reaches a posithe table 30, which supports the card, a pair of hooks 70 and 71 pick the table 80. The needle then returns to its normal position, sliding bodily along the cord.

The loop hooks 70 and 71 spread the loop to provide for a predetermined length of cord. While the needle 45 is returning to its normal or idle position, the loop hooks 70 71 spread apart, thereby drawing additional cord through the needle and, enlar ing the loop. l Vhen the loop has been enlarged an amount, sufficient to provide for the length cord desired, suitable means a's sociated with the knotter head, andherein- 23a causes levers 62 after more fully described, grip thelooped cord. The needle in. returning again lays the cord in position to be gripped bythe gripper 46. r The cord shown in Figs. 1, 2,18 and 26 to 29 inclusive,

the gripping mechanism comprises a gr p ping wheel 47, having notches 47w in its periphery and a coactingstationary plate 48, having a recess 486:. into which thewheel enters. The wheel 47 is rigidly connected to one end of a horizontallyextendingshaft 75, journalled in a bracket 76, which is rigidly. secured to the front frame plate 15.] A ratchet wheel 77 'is rigidly securedto the other end of the shaft and hasthe same 7 number of ratchet teeth as the wheel 47 has The ratchet is rotated by agravity p'awl;79 pivotally senotches in its periphery.

cured to a plunger 80, whichis slidably mounted in the front. frame plate 15. -A suitable compression spring 81 encircles the gripper 46 grips thecord so that" it may be sheared from. the ball 35... As

plunger and acts against a'collar 82,

rigidly secured to the inner'end v of the plunger, and retains a shoulder 83 of-the plunger against the frameplate 15, thereby needle 45 threaded and the cord'C1taut. When the needle 45 has reached the latter portion of its return stroke, a lug or abutment 85 rigid with the rack 60, which at this time is moving downward, engages collar 86 adjustably secured to a link 87,

and draws the link downward. The link-87 is pivotally secured to one arm 88 of bell crank 88a, which is pivotally mounted on a bracket 89 rigidly secured to the inner face of the frame plate 15. The other arm90 of thebell crank 88a engages a groove-91 in the plunger 80, and when the bell crank 88a is swung, bythe movement of the rack 60, it forces the plunger forward, the pawl 79 advancing the ratchet/7 7 one tooth. This A 7 causes the gripperwheel 47 to advance carryingthe uppermost notch 470; into the recess 48a of the plate 48. The return movement of the needle 45 drops the cord into one of the notches 47a of the gripper wheel and shortly before the needle comes to rest, the

gripper wheel 47is rotated, as heretofore described. This rotation causes the, cord lying in thenotch47a to be carried into the recess 48a of the plate 48', where it is gripped between the surfaces of the. wheel 47 and the surfaces ofthe notch 48a, thereby retaining the cord against movement.

Tolprevent. the overthrow of the bell crank, 8800 because of the force of the return movement of theplunger ,80, a stationary l 7 stop: 93 is provided which lies against the arm 9O ofithebell crank when thelatter is in its idle position. The ratchet77 and ratchet'wheel 77 and the gripper wheel 47, fa pawl..96 is 'provided'which has'a cam-face 97iadapted to coact with the inclined face gripper wheel 47 are accurately positioned to prevent a .failureiof the-gripperf46which wouldpermit cord to be. disengaged froml theneedle. To accurately position the 98 of the ratchet teeth...v The pawl 96 is pivoted, as at 99, toa; bracket 100," secured to the frame plate 15. A spring101n1ounted in a recess 102 in the bracket 100, urges fa plunger 103 against the pawl 96 andoauses "the inclined face. 97 of the pawl tolrcam the ratchet to proper'position. V g e The gripper-47 is resiliently held in-c'ontactwith one face of the notch '48a'to insure positive gripping ofthe cord.- To this end a lever- 105 is loosely retained by a headedpin 106, which GXtQDdSiil'llIOUgll the. bracket 7 "76. 'A pin 107, rigidly secured to thebracket 76, seats in a socket 107a in one end of the'leverL The other end o-f thelever con-I tacts with the end'of theshaft 75. "pression, spring 106a associated with they pin ,1'06 draws'the lever 105 against thee'nds' of the pin"106zand the shaft 75, causing a tension to' be placed upon the shaft 75 at all times, thereby retaining the gripper wheel in contact with the notch. I 7

The loop hooks 70 and 71*(Figs. 1,2, 4,

' Sand 18) are pivot ally mountedfin' a horizontal plane below the work table 30 and are operated to takethe loop from theneedle andiretain it below the work: The hook V 70 is'rigidly secured to a pin 120 'pivotally.

, journalled in a bracket 121 which is secured was front frame plate 15. Rigidly: se

curedlto the pin is a link122 which is piv otally secured to a cylinder 123 resiliently carried by a plunger 124. The plunger 124 passes through an enlargedopening 125 in the frame'member'15,'andis pivoted to a forked stud 126 which passes through av block 127 and is resiliently retained-inposi-- 7 tion' a spring .128; The spring'128 is 'ad-justably secured: to the stud 126- by. a nut 129" so that the pressure of the spring may be adjusted for different "cord materials. This construction maintains; a predetermined tension on the cord and prevents breaklng of the cord due to excessive stra1ns.-

Connected to the block 127 is a rock arm 1 13 0 (Fig.3) which is pivotallymounted intermediate its ends on a rockshaft 131 car'- ried bythe side'fram'e members-at 13 and 14." The lower end of the rock arm carries asuitable roller (not shown) whichgcoacts secured to a both hooks;

'A- corn-V is a rock arm 134, which isconnected by '7 means of .a link 1357 110 a, lever 136, rigid with the stud 120. The construction is such "that when the-[cam23b acts, to cause the loop 70 to swing towards theneedle, the loop hook 71 will likewise move. It will be noted that, in its normal position, (Fig.

17) the hook 70 isslightly inadvance of the hook 71. This. causes the hook 70 to take the 'cord from the :needle 50,slightlyin .adv'an ce:'of the hook 71 and permits the needle to rise above @the plane of the hook 71 before thehook crossesthe path of the needle. I

The operation of the loop hooks is timed to prevent contact with and'damage to'the- The mechanism is .so timed that. 1

needle 45. the hook 70 operates to. catch the-loop from the needle immediately after-the needle has c. startedon'its return movement and the-hook .3

*7ljacts on'the loop immediately after the.

needle has cleared the horizontal plane of I While the, needle is returning to its inactive ,oridle position, the loop the position illustrated in Fig. 5.

It is desirable tomaintain the looped portion (390 f the'c'ord, which is retained between the loop hooks 70 and 71 and the grippermechanism of the knotter taut at all times. I To this end we provide the shaft 124 with. a shoulder 140, agai'nst'which a 7 washer 141 is pressed. "The cylinder 123 is pressed against the washer by a suitable spring 141a contained within the cylinder. and retained in compression by a sleeve1142 anda .nut 143 adjustably mounted onrthe.

plunger 124; In thismanner the force 'ap-, plied to cylinder bythe rod 124 acts through, the spring 1451a, which is comparatively wvealien thanthe spring 128, and. therefore acts only whenfthelooped; cord becomes,

loose. c 7 7 After the cord has. been gripped b-y the knotter and the gripper wheel '46,. suitable shear members 420 and421 act toshear the g'cord between'the twogripping points, there 7 by severing the formed loop -C3ffromthe fi cord supply35'. In the embodiment shown the shear members 420 and 421' (Figs; 1, 2,

3 and 21) are mounted above the gripper wheel 47 and between the vertical planes of the pper wheel andv the knotter head I The shear member 420'is pinnedto a horizontal shaft112 journalled in a bushing 113, which in turn is journalled in thebracket 76, abovethe shaft 7 5 of the'cord gripping.

mechanism. Rigidly securedtofithe shaft 112 is a rock arm 114 which is connected to; the upper end of'a lever 116 (Fig. 3) by a link 115, which passes through an opening I 11 119 in the front frame plate 15. The shear I me1nber 421 is' secured to the'bushing 113.

Rigid withfthe' bushing is a rockjiarm 117,

which is connected to theupper end ofthe hooks 7O and71 are spreading the loopto lever 116 by a linkr118, which passes through an opening 119a in, the front frame groove 134 in a cam* disc 23G, mounted on;

the shaft 17. The cam 23C is of such a construction that it will cause the oscillation of the lever 116. On the rearward stroke of the upper end of the lever 116 the arms 115 and 118 are spread apart, causing the shear 'members 420 and 421. to approach each other, in the manner of a pair of scissors and sever the cord between the knotter head and the gripper 46.

After the cord has been fed, looped, and sheared as heretofore described, the knotter head 150 begins to form the knot while the.

cord feed, the cord gripper, and cord shears are idle or inactive and they remain so duringthe remaining portion of the cycle of operation. The knotter head 150 is best illustrated in Figs. 1 to 13 inclusive and the operating mechanism for the headis'best shown in Figs. 3 and 16. Inthe embodiment shown the knotter head 150 is rigidly secured to a sleeve 151 which is journalled in the front frame plate 15. .The sleeve is secured against lateral movement in the frame plate 15 by a collar portion 152 of the. sleeve,

which engages the front surface of the frame plate 15, and a gear 153 whlchis secured in position on the sleeve by means of a nut 154. and which engages the inner surface of the frame plate 15.

The knotter head 150 comprises a substantially hollow open ended cylinder 155,

which is secured to the sleeve by set screws 156. The cylinder 155 has two forwardly extending ears 157 and 158 over and around which the cord is fed by the needle 45, as heretofore described and illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5.

The cord gripping mechanism of the knotter head 150, retains the cord in the knotter head, so that it vmay be tiedand severed from the supply.

ing slot 159 in the knotter head. This hook lies adjacent the ear 157 and to all purposes is integral therewith. carried by a bar 162, slidably mounted in the slot 155 of the cylinder 155, is urged forward against the hook 160 by a suitable spring 163. The bar 162 has a radially de-.

pending ear 162a which'is engaged by a shoulderl181 of aplunger 164 to withdraw the hook 161 from contact with the hook This gripper. mechanism comprises a gripper hook 160 rigidly secured in a longitudinally extend- A second hook 161.

formed by hooks 171'. I

160. Before the cord C is fed around the knotter, the hook 161 is drawn "rearwardf by the plunger 164 which is slidably mounted within the cylinder-155. When the cord 1 a has been fed and the loop hooks have enlarged the loop, so as to retain the proper amount of cord between the knotter head and theloop hooks, the plunger 164 is brought forward,- thereby vreleasing. the 7 gripper hook 161 and thespring 162.urgfes the hook 161 into contact with the hook 160,

thereby gripping the cord between thetwo hooks, asshown in Fig. 5. i

When the cord has been gripped by the knotter it is severed from the supplyor ball.

35 as indicated at C4 in Fig- 5. The'knotter head is then rotated to tie the loose ends of;

the cord together by means hereinafterto" be described. It will be noted in Fig. 6 that the knotter head has turned appro xh mately of a revolution in. a clockwise direction, and has wrappedthefcord-arouiid the ears 157 and 15,8, the'cord lying'ina notch 166 in theb-ar 162, which carries the r gripper hook 161. At this time theplun'ger 164 is urged forward, by mechanism herein-.

after described, and a plow 167. rigidly secured to the plunger contacts with the" cord w V at C5. It will be noted that the p'low 167 has a cut away portion 168" to enable it to pass over the portion of the cord G6, which has been wrapped or looped around the ears 157 and 158 of the knotter head. As the knotter head rotates further in a clockwise cord slips from the bevelled surface 1690f 1 direction to the position shown in Fig. 7 the the plow and falls between theears 157 and After the the head it is looped into the head so; that.

thetassel strands may be secured to the cord. Rigidly secured to the forward end cord has been looped around of the plunger 164 are a pair of hooks-170,

which, at the time the. plow 167 and the plunger 164 are extended forwardly, are

also brought forward to a point somewhat beyond th'eextreme forward" end of the ears 157 and 158. As the cord slips from the surface of the plow it falls between the hooked ends 171 of ,theihooks and the plung er. The plunger 164 is then drawn to the rear, to a position illustrated in Fig. '8,Zand

the hook ends .171 of the hook members 170 engage the cord at C7, looping it inwardly through the loop G6, which was formed by the rotation of the knotter head. At this time a suitable needle 173, which carries silk strands T, to form a tassel, isinserted" through openings 174 in theknotter head and through the loop G8,. which has "been The tassel. material is retained the i knotter head so that the needle 173'may be withdrawn 'topermit the head 150- to com j plete the'knot. After the needle 173 has .1

against the needle. V The "shoe 175 is'mounted'in'a slideway 176 in the cylinder 155 and" passed some distance through the ,knotter f 7 7 p 7 I fnientrof the hook 186pushes the lo'opgfrom the end of theears. While the loop- C6 is being forced from the ears, the loop: hooks 70 and 71 are spread apart to' retain'the'cord head it is withdrawn and a shoe 175 is'urged is urged forward by a suitable spring 177,

which coacts with a plunger 17 8-, mounted -:in an. opening 179 in the barrel portion of the cylinder and which engages the rearmost endof the shoe 175. The shoe 175 is fhooks 171, by apin 180, rigidly secured V to the shoe 175 andwhich has an inwardly :extending portion adapted to lie 1n a recessedjportion 182 of the plunger 164." As the plunger is drawn-inwardly, a shoulder 181-engages the pin 180 and draws it rear- 5 wardly. However,as the needle 173 withdrawsfrom the knotter liead the plungpassingto either side of'theneedle andithe shoe 17 5 is urged forward by the-spring 17 '7.

w s It will be noted that asthe needle-173 is" withdrawn, the; shoe 175 slides from the tapered nose of the needle and grips the tas- 7 sel' strands T between the shoeand theforwardportion 183 of the knotter head. This 175a,, similar in all respects to the shoe 17 5,

and which grips'the tassel T, holding it taut in theknotter head while theneedle withdrawsentirely from the knotter head to the "position shown in Fig. 2,-where* suitable shear zmember's, hereinafter to be described,

, shear-the tassel to the proper length. l

- After the tassel has been sheared, suhstan- 1 'tially'the same length of strand extends to 'either'side of the knotter head, as illustrated 40 in Fig.111, and thetassel has been inserted ,intothe loop C8 of the cord. t this time the knotter headpartially unwinds or rot ates in a counter-clockwise direction to permit theejec'tion of the knot'from the head. As the knotter head unwinds the plunger 164 carries the hook's'171 to a forward posi tion. The loop C8 of the cord will there;- fore embrace the portion T2 of the tassel the loop hooks 70 and 71, heretofore described, the tassel strands are drawn forwardly and the knot begins toftighten.

185, which is slid ably mo-untedon the knot;

ter head and operated by means hereinafter tojbe described, is urged forward toeject the knot from the-ears 157 and;158,and

extendingho'ok 'l86, which is normally re- 7 and which, bears against the. plunger 16 4. Assthe sleeve 185-is carried forwardly, the

' been drawn taut.

81"164318 urged outwardly, the hooks 171' v V the action of the spring163and the cord is thereby drawn from the grip of thegrip- I and as the-tension is applied tothe cord by in tension and the loop C8lis drawn taut re taining the tassel T within the loop, the ends of'the tassel being frictionally restrained of the action of the compressionespring 163,1v I

= as heretofore described. The tension of this,

spring is such that the grippers will re; V

tain thecord in their pers 160V and 161 While the shoes 17 5 is drawn'taut. A hook 190, carried by an arm 191', rigidly secured toashaft 192, op-' rip until the knot has After the knot has been drawn tautythe increasing tensionfonth'e cord, due tothe continued spreading action, a

oftheloop hooks, is suflicient to overcome $5 7 and M1 5 retaini ing the tassel T in the knotter head'the knot erated by meanshereinafter: to be described,

is carried upwardly through the loop ()9, 'of

the cord which lies below thecardk The by the cord C3 andfas the hookportion 194 of the needle isbrought downward by the return movement of the arm 191, it engages the knotClO, thereby drawing the cord G3,

the knot and tassel T3 down through the loop C10, as illustrated inF-igs. 13'1and 14. '7 g This, it will he noted, formsa'knot G15, i U which secures the cord to the card. .At this time theloperato'r withdraws the card from its position on thework-table 3Q and the knot C15, is drawn taut and further movement of the card will draw the knot Glq' im from the hook'190, freeing it" from themechanism. 1

As the tassel hooklQO draws the knot andtassel throughtheiloop C9 the hooks 70 and 71 are thrown outwardly so as-to disengagejor free the loop, C9 to the: end that it maybe withdrawn from the apparatus by the operator. Ithas been found desirable to to enlarge and decrease thesize of the loop, V V

keeping the proper tension thereon during bar 124 is therefore provided 'with, a cam V 7 block 320 ,(Figs. 3, 17 .and 18), which on 3 I r V "he'o'ki186 contacts with the plunger 164 be .e o5 twee1 1' the ears and 158 and strikes the the forward movement of' thebarrcoacts with a; block 321 havinga cam surface 322,

the knotteroper'ations; It has been found that these movements are tooslow in action 5 for the releasing movement. The'ilever or which swings the bar 124 about iitspivot that'they will not interfere with the' withdrawal of the latter. r

The knotter head operating mechalnsm, which secures or knots the cord and tassel together, is best illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3" and 19 will now be described. The knotter head is rotated by means of the gear 153, heretofore described, and whichis'rigidly secured to the sleeve 151, which in turn, is

secured to the cylinder 150 by means ofthc set screw 156. A suitable rack 195 mounted between the frame plate and the cover plate 61 is reciprocated bylfmeans of a cam 23D. Pivotally 'connected'to the rack 195 is a link 196- On the other end of the link is a lever, not'shown, but similar tothat shown in Fig. 30 at 66, and which is mounted at 64 to a bracket 65; The roller coacts with a cam groove 197 in the cam 23D, which is formed in such a manner as to rotate the knot-tor head as heretofore described. h I

The plunger 164 loops the cord into the. knotter head to receive the tassel strands and is operated by the 'cam-23E The plunger passes freely through the sleeve 151,and is connected by a universal connection 164a to the upper arm 198 of a lever 200. The con- I nection being such to permit a slight ver- I tical movement between the arm 196 and the plunger 164. Thelever 200 is pivotally carried by the shaft 111 and has a downwardly extending arm 200 which" carries a roller 202 adapted to coact with a camgroove 2O3 in a cam 23E, which is rigidly secured to the shaft 17. The cam groove 203 isofsuch x shape as to cause the plunger to operate, as heretofore described. The tates with the knotter head 150. This is caused by the plow 167 which normally lies in a slot 167a-in the cylinder 155. Q As the plow is rigid with the plunger it acts as a sliding key and causes the plunger to rotate when the cylinder is rotated. I

The tassel hook 190 withdraws the knot from the knotter head and is best illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 12, 13 and 14. The hook 190 is adjustably carried byan arm 191 which is rigidly secured to a shaft 192 mounted in a bracket 330 carried by the front frame plate 15. Rigid with the shaft 192. (Figs. 2 and 3) is a lever 331, which is connected to an arm 332 of the lever 333, by a link 334 which. passes throughan opening 366 in the frame plate 15. The lever 333 is pivoted intermediate its ends on the shaft, 131. ward extending arm .335 of thelever 333 carries a roller (not shown) .which engages a cam groove 337 in acamdiscf23H which plunger 164' r0 A a down-- is rigidly secured to the shaft 17 heretofore described. The knot ejector hook 186 is operated by a cam. disc 23M to push the knot from the ears 157 and 158 of theknotterhead and is best illustrated in Figs. 3, 12, 13 and 19. The. hook186'is rigidly securedto the sleeve which has an annular. groove 340 in its'pe- 342engagesthe groove 340 to move thehook 186, as heretofore described. The. plunger 1 342 (Fig. 3.) is connected to an arm 344 of a lever345 which is pivotally mounted on the shaft 111. A downwarddepending arm 346 10f thelever 344 carries a; roller 347 which in a cam disc engages a cam groove 348 g I, 23M, which'is mounted on the shaft 17, heretofore described. r

The tassel feeding mechanism,- which feeds the predetermined length of tassel strands from a ball of material to the knotter head, is'mounteid on the left handside'- jriphery. .A shoe 341 carried by'a. plunger.

member through which is threaded the silk strands of the'tassel material. The needle or tube 173 is rigidly secured in a clamp.

block 220 by means of a suitable screw 221'.

The clamp block is supported by a tube 222,

secured to the block by means of a clamping scr,ew 223; mounted in bearings 224, which are carried by .a bracket 225, rigidly secured to the front frame plate-15.. A tube .226 inlwhich the tube 222 is reciprocated is mounted at the extreme left of the bearingi224. The; tube 226serves as a guard forthe tube 222, when it is in its lefthand position. is

Pinned to the tube .222 adjacent the left hand bearing .224 is a block 230,"which block is pivotally mounted on a pin 231-, rigidly secured to a yoke 232, which embraces the block. The yoke carries a stud 233, to which is pivotally connected oneend of a connecting rod ora link 234, the other.

end of which is joined to a lever 235, rig- 1 idly secured to a stud 236 which is jour- -nalled in the front frame plate15. Rigidlyf secured to the stud 236on the inner side of the frameplate 15 is a lever or rock arm The tube 222 isslidably 237, whichis connected by means of alinkv 238 to a lever, not shown, but similar'to the lever 63 illustrated in Fig. 30 and which has a roller similar to the V roller 66,

adapted tocoact with the cam groove 239] in the cam 23F of a cam, which is mounted on the shaft17, heretofore described. -.The cam 23F is so shaped as to cause the reciprocationf of the needle173 as heretofore described.

The tassel material .T is supplied tothe;

. machine from 5a. ball or other substantially 00111111110118; strand of; material and is are " Q shoe, of corkor .similan'material,mounted threaded'fronia suitable-"supply such-as'a ball 240 (Fig. 3), which is supported by a suitable bracket member 241, rigidly secured to 1 the frame 10 of the machine:

From theball 240 thentassel material is fed through an eye 242 in a guide member-243,

which is rigidly secured to the operatingi" V lever 234 of theneedle operating .-mecha11- ism. F rom'the guide 243 the cordpasses terhead,asheretofore described. w

over and" around a pin 244, which is -rigidly secured between the arms 245 of the yoke 232i The -tassel" material then passesthrough ianopening 246 in the block 230 andintothe tube 222 by means of an. open:

ing 247 in the'tub e. The tassel material T' is then guidedthrough the tube 222. into he needle 17 3 and. from there to the knot- Suitabletensi'on devices, are provided for fthe tassel material so that it will beretained in "the needle when the latter is 011 the. 'return portion of its stroke. One of'such devices is illustrated in Figs. 22 and 23. It

will be noted that the pin 233 ofthe yoke 1232 is mounted slightly above the" pivot 231 of the yoke. Therefore, when the needle is drawn forward thelink 234 tends to rock theyoke ina clockwise direction (Fig. 22), I thereby causing a shoe portion 248 of the -blo'ck 230 to contact with thetassel material T as it iswrapped around the pin 244,

'7 {thereby preventing movement of the'tassel material on the forward stroke of, the-needle.

It has been found, however,that inpractice, the tassel tension device heretoforementioned is not sufiiciently efl'ective'during the latter-portion of the forward'stroke of the needle. This ispartly'dueito the inertia of the needle and-its associatedmechan'ism.'

-' ."Thereforefa secondftension device isprovided which will place some tension on the tass el'material at all times. The block 220 has a transverselyextending slot 250, which extends between the tube 222 and the needle 173; -M0unted in theslot is a small wire spring 251', one end of which is'secured to the block-by the screw 221, the other end re- .tains the tassel material T in contact with a shoe vportion'253 of the block as illustrated "in Figs. 23 and 24. This effectively serves to place the tassel material under tension at all times and is of suiiicientstrength to sup plement' the tension device included in the yokei232. f

at :brake may be provided,: 3 which will act on the tube 222, to-overco'me' IfI desired i any efiectson the material caused by the momentum of the needle. Such a" device is illustrated in Fig. :22and comprisesa brake in a "recess 350 'in' o'ne of the bearing menibers 224." A'spring 351, retained in the recess; 350by a; threaded plug 352, retains the 'gsrshoe in, contact with ;the tube',222 at all times. We findthis will, practically overcome the bad effects caused by the'momen f tum. of the needle and tube 222.

' The tassel shears, which shear a predetel-mined length of tassel material from the supply, comprise a; stationary shear blade .260, (Figs.1" and 2.)} rigid with a bracket 261, 7 which is adjustably'mountedonthe frontframe plate 1'5by means'of a set screw 262. I

It will be noted that the shear member 260 iflocat'ed to theleft of the knotter heada distance sufficient to give the tasselmaterial, whichis. retained in. the 'knotter head, the" properlength and in such a position that it will be slightly to the'right (Fig.2) of the needle 173, when the latteris in itsextreme left hand position. Pivotally connected to the shear member 260 at-265: is 'aseoondj shear member. 266, to which is pivoted a link 267-which passes through an opening; 7

268 in the front-frame plate'15, and which is pivotally connectedat 2.69 to an arm 270 n of a'lcver 271, 'which'is pivoted to'the shaft 111 heretoforedescribed. The; lever 271 has a downwardly extending arm 27 2, which carries a roller'w273iadapted to coact with a cam groove .274 ina cam 23G rigidly secured to the shaft 17 as heretofore described; The single rotation clutch which transmits powerto thevarious mechanisms here. I

tofore mentioned, may be of any standard type, preferably pedal operated. It is preferable, however, tousea clutch-of such a construction, that if "the operator retains the pedal in an active or depressed position the clutch will automatically throw out after the firstrevolution and will'not be made active again; until the treadle has been reof the pulley. Thesha'ft 17 has a boss'or 'enlarged portion 282, which is adjacent the hub of the pulley 18. Mounted in an opening 283, intheboss, is a plunger 284, which is normally urged towards the clutch'faces 1 280 by a sprlng 285, mounted in a recess 286 in the plunger. 3 g

A lever 287, pivoted at 288 to a bracket to coact with a slot1291'in the plunger and ynorm'ally retains :theplunger in its with;

drawn or inactive position as illustrated in, Fig.' 31 However, when" v the lever 287 is drawn downwardly, the nose 290 is drawn out of contact with the plunger and thejflat-l ter v is urged forward by its spring 285 into" f contact with one ofythe clutch. faces 280.] 'The leverj287 is normally urged. in its up;

permost or plunger'engagingfposition by a plunger 292fand a spring 293, which arev n mounted in the bracket 289f An arm'294 is i pivotally connected by a link 2%, which is 289,-ha's a'wedge'shapednose'290 adapted 1 an upwardlyIextendingportion 300 of the arm 294T-and cams the arm outwardly (to the left in Fig. 32), thereby forcing the lip 2980f the arm frointhe boss 299 of the lever. The spring 293 then urges, the lever 287 into its active position, which is best illustrated in.Fig .'32. 1' c 7, v

To provide means whereby the mechanism may be operated continuously we prefer to provide a hand lever 301, which is pivoted at 302 tothe bracket 289 andhas an ear 303 adapted to engage the arm of the lever 287 i and draw the latter downward. A plunger 304 carried by theilever 301' and which coacts with notches 305 in a plate 306, rigidly secured to the bracket 289, serves toretain the lever in its active or inactive position the plunger 28 1to withdraw the latter from the clutch surfaces 280 of the pulley,the unit is resiliently mounted. To this end the bracket 289 is pivotedlat 310, and a suitablecompression spring 311, mounted ona stud 312, normally. retains the bracket in contact with a lug 314, which is rigid with a side frame plate 14:. This eliminates a great deal of vibration and jar to the knotting mechanism at such timeiwhen :the clutch is thrown out'of engagement, as heretofore Referring to Fig. 34, wherein a diagrammatic illustration of the actions of the various cams is illustrated, it will be noted that zero indicates the start or beginning of a cycle of operation of themechanism. The

first operations are those of the cord needle which approaches the car d while the loop engaginghooks and 71 approach the needle 45 and the knotter head begins to move to a loading or starting position. The cord gripping mechanism and 161 of the knotter head 150 is then opened andthe cord needle 1 5 "passes through 'the card, the loop hooks 70 and 71 then act to remove the cord from the needle and to en-: large the loop taking sufficientcord for a predetermined length of tassel after which the cord grip, of the knotter head and the cord gripper 46 grip and secure the cord which is thereafter sheared from the supply. The knotter hooks and plow then. a move out as the knotter starts to wind the cord around the ears 157 and'158u? The.

knotter plow and. hooks are moved out so as to guide the cord into a position-when the hooks may pull the cord lnto the knot: ter head forming a loop to receive .the tassele The tassel needle the11-begins-its operarl tion and enters the knotter while the latter:' is stationary. The tassel shears thGH CIOSGI in on the needle while thelatter withdraws from the knotter, after which theytassel shears cut the tassel material andthe knot-f ter hooks are thrown .to anoutward position. The knotter then partiallyunwinds to permit the knot to be ejected ifrom, the

knotter without its catching or, snagging on the knotter hooks, which at thisitimfe, be gin to recede. The knot ejector is th'en moved out and thecord isejected from the; ears 157 andv 158 of the knotterhead, The loop hooks 70 and 71 duringthese opet a tions have been moving to and fro; retain: mg the proper tension onthei cord but per? mitting the knotter to wind andunwind, The tassel hook then enters the loopand pulls the, tassel through the looplwhile the,

loop hooks release the loop; The {card is;

thendrawn' from the imechanismgand the single rotation clutch is thrown out o f fengagement and the mechanism is, readyvto begin operation on another article; 1.

It ,will be noted fromthe foregoingde-i; scription that a mechanism has been pro videdwhich will secure] a tass,el. ,to' afcord 10D and secure the unit to a cord or other ob=; ject withoutnecessitating the manual ban-1., f dling of eithertheftasseljor the cord, that; mechanism hasgbeen provided which, is. adapted to feed cord to a knotting mocha-"m5 nism and cut the cord't oa predetermined length to a knotter and which will feed a, second cord also of a redeterminedlengthj to the knotter and joln theqtwoicoijds tol gether in such mannerthat one issub'stan-Qlm 1. The combination with a 115 anism of. means to feed a cord to such'mecli anism, and means .to feed alsecoiid cord to. such mechanism, said; mechanism being adapted to knot the two cords together. ,jl

' 2. The combination withgaknotting echf-] anism of meansfadapted to feed a' lcordlto such mechanism, meansadapted to feed iif second cord to such mechanism, .saidpkriotf ting mechanismiincluding means to knot the two cords together in ya double strandl1g5 formation. i 5 i 3.The combination.with a knotting nech anism ofmeans adapted to feedaf cord to such mechanism, independent meansv adapt.=- 1

ed tofeed a second cord to such mechanisn 139 saidf nechanism whereby one of the cords 1 is looped and the looseends 1'.

mechanism inclndihg means to knot the two cords :togethen'and means included in anismof means adapted tofeed a cord to such ,mechanism' from a cord supply, means acting-thereafter to out such cord to a predetermined "length, means to feeda second a cotlites theknotting mechanism,means to cut lthe secondfcord to a predetermined length, and means to cause the knotting mechanism to secure the 7 two; cordstogether. 2 6. In combination with a rlmotting'mechani'smiof means tofeed a cord tosuchmechamsm, means to feed a second cord to the knotting mechanism,- independent means,

' acting 'aftereach cord has been fed to sever the 'co rds to a predeterminedlength,andV

' means to, cause the knottingmeehanism to lnotith'e two cords together, j h y h overall length o-f both cords is predeter mined. .77 H c *7."In' a mechanism-"of the class described, the combination with a knotting mechanism, of a plurality of independent cord supply units, independent means associated with j i each unit and adapted-to feed cords to'the 'knotting'm'echanilsm, means adapted to sever.

each cordto va; predetermined length and; means acting on said knotting mechanism tofcauseitfto tie the cords together;

8'. :In a mecha'nismof the class described, the/combination with a knotter head, ofa

I plurality of independent cord supply units,

v independent means associated with each unit fiadaptedtdfeed cord to the knottin'g mech- P anism, means adapted to sever each cordto aipredet'ermined 'length, means associated with" the :knotting head'fadapted to retain the 'severe'd cords in the head, and means operativej on said, knotting mechanism to vca us'eitrto tie the cords together.

" 9'; In ajmechanism of the class de scrihed,

the combination with a knotting' mechanism,

7 i of'a plurality of independent cord supply each unit adapted to "feed cordto the knotunits, 'i'ndependent means associated with ting mechanism, "means adapted-to sever V each cord to a predeterminedilength and 7 said" kn'ottingf mechanism adapted totie' the seVeredf cords together and a plurality of ,knotter headi cams adapted to actuate said means and said i 1(EfIn ja mechanismof the classdescribed V the combination with 'an oscillatory knot-' tin gi head, of means adaptedto feed a predetermined len-gth'of cord to said head',[gripwith a knotting mech ping mechanism associated with said head v adapted to grip said cord, means; adapted to dr'awthefcord into the head, meansto to operate said head to knot bot-h cords together.- r a i 1 feed a second cordthrough said-head, means 7 associated with said; head adapted to .grip

v 4 V "70- sald second namedzcord; and; means adapted it 11. In a mechanism of the class described p the combination/with an oscillatory knotting head, of means adapted to feed a predetermined length'flof cord to saidlhead, grip- ,pingmechanismuassociated"with:said head 3 adapted to grip, said cord,me ans adapted to wrap such cordaroundtherhead, means adapted to loop a portion: of said cord.

so i

within the head, means to feed a second cord v Q through the head and" the looped portion.

of the first, means associated withsaid head adapted to grip said second named cord and means adapted to operate said head to! knot said-cords together; 7 12 In a mechanism .of

one end of aloop'ed-cord through an: object spreading 'means' adapted to 1 open the loop, 1 means acting in conjunctionxwith said p the classdescrib'ed, V the combination with meansadapted to. feed spreading means to tiev a tassel to the other" end of the looped cord, means I adapted :to pull the tied ends" of thelcord'and the tassel through the loop, thereby fastening the cord to-the'object;

"13; In a mechanism "of theclass describedthe combination with -a' knotting head of means adapted to l ops cord oversaid head and through an fobjectgmeans adaptedito feed-a tassel'to the knotter head, said head adapted to knot the loose ends of the cord and the tassel together and means adapted to ejectthe knot from? said head and draw the knot and' the tassel through said loop thereby securing the cordto the object.

' 14. In ame'chanism of'the class'described,"f

the combination with a'knottinghead of means adapted to loop a cord over said-head and through zin'obiect of a'predetermined size, means adaptedfte feed ai tassel to the j hea d and separate means to'shear' the cord and the tassel to predetermined lengths, said headadapted to tie the sheared end of the loop" and. 'thetassel together, and "means adaptedto. draw the rknot through'said loop thereby securing the cord to the object, whereby the combined lengthf of tasselcord and objectis predetermined, r

V -15..The vcombination of a knottingichead, a needle adapted to feed a cord to the knotting head, a "plunger tl'1eilmotting'head; adapted to loopthe cord into;the -head:,a{ material" feeding means including a" -r'ecipro=,

catoryneedlefadapted topass through the; V

knotting head, means' -associated was the headadapted to retainthe material fed by; the needle', means operable on the herd 

